After The Fire
by walldigital
Summary: Sequel to Dying Embers-Tegan's Journal
1. Prologue

Aftter The Fire  
  
Sequel to Dying Embers  
  
Her room was exactly how she had left it. And that is how it would always remain.  
  
He gently sat on her bed holding his head in his hands.  
  
"Doctor, this isn't healthy." The voice came from just outside Tegan's door.  
  
"Have you become such an expert on Time Lords to ascertain what is and isn't healthy for me Turlough?" The Doctor's anguish over the loss of Tegan was still evident in his voice.  
  
"I meant no disrespect. Towards you nor your feelings for Tegan, but Doctor it's been weeks." In fact it had almost been a week since Turlough had seen the Doctor. He spent most days wandering the TARDIS corridors, looking for something he would never find there. Peace.  
  
"What is time to me! Weeks, months, years! She'll still be gone", he snapped. Composure came slowly. "I'm sorry Turlough."  
  
"I just don't think this is what Tegan would have wanted, Doctor," Turlough said and walked away.  
  
"I always had more than a few problems trying to figure that out," he said aloud.  
  
The Doctor sat quietly for a little while longer taking in the sights of the room. Her air stewardess uniform hung in the corner. A custom made AIR TARDIS badge adorned it. A wonderful example of her sarcastic sense of humor he thought. Her shelves were full of knick-knacks and souvenirs. Proof positive, he felt that not all of their adventures had been spent fighting the evils of the universe. And then his eyes fell upon her picture of her Aunt Vanessa and he was reminded that his first and last memories of her would always be pain and death.  
  
As he rose from her bed, a small data screen fell to the floor. He recognized it as the LiveJournal he had given her not long after she had decided to stay with the crew for awhile. She must have made an entry that last morning. Before Frontios, before the Daleks. His finger hovered above the journal review button.  
  
He remembered her on Deva Loka when he had asked about her dream.  
  
"No, Doctor. Dreams are private."  
  
He laid the LiveJournal on her dresser and left the room.  
  
"Yes, Tegan. They are."  
  
To be continued. 


	2. The First Entries

It had been nice to see Turlough off in such a heroic fashion. As strained as their friendship had been, the Doctor was proud of him, And felt thankful to have known him. "You see Tegan, a happy ending."  
  
As he walked the TARDIS Corridors down to her room, the Doctor tried to rationalize his decision to watch Tegan's journal. He had to know how had her travels with him affected her? He felt in his hearts that Tegan had enjoyed her time with him, that she had grown as a person as a result of their adventures. But she was so personal. Afraid to let anyone too close. There were moments though, when they had truly opened up to each other but the insight into each others lives had been small and somewhat insignificant. Now that she was gone, there was no part of her he found insignificant. He would give his last regeneration to just argue with her once more.  
  
He entered her room and found the LiveJournal just where he had left it a few days earlier. He picked it up and sat in the wicker chair in the corner. He paused for a moment and then with a heavy sigh activated the replay function.  
  
'Entry 1," a computerized voice said as the Doctor's watched Tegan appear on the screen. Her face would forever be etched in his fondest memories. She was still wearing her flight attendant's uniform. She was always wearing it, he recalled. Always prepared, he guessed, in case he came through on his promise to get her to Heathrow Airport,  
  
"Alright lets give this a shot. My name is Tegan Jovanka and I'm being held hostage aboard a time machine that looks like a police box, by a man who can change bodies and wears celery on his lapel. Rabbits! How rediculous does that sound. She laughed. Alright, the Doctor gave me this journal to chronicle my time here I suppose. A way to prove to myself that all of this really happened. Maybe a peace offering. We've had more than one argument about getting me home. Rather sweet of him I guess."  
  
"Well this first entry is going to be long. I'm not really sure what date to put on this. To me it's still February 1981, but who knows. It started on the Barnett Bypass with a flat tire.with Aunt Vanessa." Tegan suddenly stopped speaking and held her trembling hand to her mouth. Tears followed and the screen went blank.  
  
The Doctor closed his eyes. The thought of Tegan in pain distressed him deeply. He had seen her cry all too often during their time together. He remembered briefly consoling Tegan on Logopolis after telling Tegan of her Aunt's death at the hands of the Master.  
  
"Entry 2," the computer began a few seconds later.  
  
" I guess my first entry wasn't as long as I thought. It's just..it had never really hit me as hard as it did at that moment. Even when the Doctor first told me it just didn't seem real. I've got to get back, to let my family know I'm okay.." There was a jump in the picture that obviously indicated some passage of time before she spoke again. "Anyway we've landed again. Not at Heathrow AGAIN, but this time its okay. Nyssa seems to have come down with something. Possibly from those giant frogs. Urbankans I think they were called. Anyway the Doctor has decided to just park us here for a rest. Rather peaceful planet actually."  
  
The Doctor remembered that Deva Loka had been anything but peaceful. Tegan had unwittingly released the Mara both into her mind and outward into the Kinda's world. They beat it of course but the repercussions would haunt Tegan's subconscious for months. She never would really talk to him about the whole experience. Just the bits and pieces he needed to know to defeat it. He suddenly felt a twinge of guilt and turned off the LiveJournal.  
  
He knew the next entry would probably contain something of the Mara and Tegan's possession. He had utterly failed her when he said she was free of it. He realized he wasn't ready to see Tegan in pain yet again so soon.  
  
Peri walked by the doorway and spotted him.  
  
"Oh Doctor, there you are."  
  
"Hello, Perri. Settled in yet?  
  
"Just about. Who's room is this?"  
  
The Doctor stood and put the LiveJournal in the pocket of his coat.  
  
"It belongs to a very dear friend of mine. I'll tell you about her some day."  
  
The Doctor looped his arm around Perri's waist to usher her out of the room.  
  
To be continued in Chapter 3 


	3. A Fleeting Farewell

The Doctor was once again in Tegan's room. Peri was settled in now and was enjoying exploring the TARDIS. She was a charming girl. Full of spirit and a genuine sense of wonder. He had shown her the library, where she was enthralled with his collection of books on botany. He was quite sure she would be there awhile.  
  
Once again he sat in the wicker chair. He gently stroked the fabric of the multi colored dress draped across its back. She had worn it when they visited her grandfather, one time he can actually remember her being happy. A smile came to his face as he removed the LiveJournal from his pocket and pressed review.  
  
"Entry 3," the Journal's computer said as the screen came to life.  
  
"Well this will be my last entry aboard the TARDIS. I'm leaving today. Starting the life that has ben interrupted one too many times. The Doctor says he'll get me to my flight on time and the last couple of months I'll just have to pretend didn't happen. But, no I can't do that. Despite the troubles we managed to land ourselves in, I'll miss them all. Especially Nyssa. Adric has begun to grow on me a little. Like a fungus!" She laughed. "Oh that was so bad. He's all right really. Just a bit arrogant. He'll grow out of It.. I hope. And the Doctor, well he's just the Doctor," She paused for a moment as if trying to make sense of something and then continued.  
  
"I had a dream about the Mara last night. Can't remember a thing about it really. I asked the Doctor about it earlier this morning but he said it was just my mind's way of coping with the trauma of being possessed. He assured me again that I'm free of it. I've really come to rely on him despite all our rifts. He's a good man, if I can call him that There's a part of me that actually wants to stay. Anyway I'll miss them all."  
  
He had remembered all to well what had happened next. The TARDIS had arrived at the future site of Heathrow, around 300 years too early. The exchange of words had been heated in the console room when she saw the viewer screen.  
  
His thoughts returned, however, to how easily he had dismissed Tegan's experience with the Mara. He had known the legends, the danger. So why had he not seen what had happened to her.  
  
"Entry 4,"  
  
"Well I'm still here. No Heathrow, and this time we managed to burn London. The Doctor and I had our worst exchange of words yet. Well, I said a lot more than he did. I think I actually hurt him. I hate that because I think the world of him actually. But he has to know how I felt about being stuck here. That's right, FELT, past tense. I think I'll stay for a while. I feel, I don't know, some sort of connection. We had a pleasant dinner this evening. Just me and the Doctor. Nyssa wanted to study what was left of the android and Adric decided to help her. The Doctor told me a little about the Time Lords and Gallifrey. That's where he's from. And he explained a little more about regeneration. There was an air of vunerability about him which made me feel more at ease with him. Don't get me wrong, if there's a crisis at hand he's anything but vulnerable. But a friendly dinner is another story. Despite the danger we've faced, this is an adventure one could only dream of. I'm not giving him any slack though. And being the mouth on legs is just me. I can't change who I am. I'll speak my mind until I'm old and gray."  
  
The Doctor had been smiling up until Tegan's last line. Old and gray was something that wouldn't happen for her.. She was gone at 27 years old. How brief a time for someone to live, he thought. And then he remembered a line from something he had read once. The flame.that burns brightest burns the briefest  
  
"I can be thankful that for a brief time, Tegan, your flame warmed my hearts. I miss you."  
  
He remembered the look in her eyes when she realized she was dying. Those dying embers. His own eyes began to water and he turned off the LiveJournal, once again knowing there would be more pain in the entries to come. He would see the affect of Adric's death on her. Feelings below the surface of what he had seen when it happened. Despite the few light moments they had shared, pain was par for the course in her travels with him so far. He didn't remember it getting much better. 


	4. Departure

The Doctor and Peri had just finished a long walk. The Eye of Orion was supposed to be the most tranquil place in the universe but it did not bring peace for the Doctor. He had brought Tegan here once, to share with her one of the true wonders of the universe. As always danger had found them.  
  
"What's wrong Doctor? You always seem so preoccupied lately."  
  
"I'm sorry Peri. Have a lot on my mind. Do you have any regrets in your life."  
  
"None that really matter I guess."  
  
"Not even travelling with me?"  
  
"Ar e you kidding? This is great," she exclaimed grabbing his arm and smiling. The smile was genuine and infectious. The Doctor couldn't help but smile as well.  
  
Hours later the smile had faded as he sat under a tree in the cool night air. Peri had turned in hours ago. He took Tegan's journal from his pocket and pressed the review button.  
  
"Entry 5"  
  
Well our latest adventure had a rather tragic ending with the death of George Cranleigh. Poor Anne. She and Nysaa share much more than their looks. They have both lost so much in their lives. I wonder if I have a twin somewhere in the universe. I was surprised the Doctor wanted to stay for the funeral. He's usually ready to go back on the run once he's done his job of saving the day.  
Unpleasantness aside, I have to say that I had the time of my life. We were in the roaring 20's and Igot to dance the Charleston. Great fun. I also got to watch the Doctor play cricket. Better than any pro I have seen. He's become quite a hoot to be around. When he made the remark about wanting to drive a train as a boy, I think he was serious. Of course I don't think there are steam engines on Gallifrey. I wonder if his parents traveled like he does. He simply knows too much about the earth and its different people and cultures from any time period. He just fits in wherever or whenever he goes. I mean he claims to have known DaVinci, Socrates, Galileo. From what I've learned about the Time Lords, the Doctor I first met was Time Lord to the core. A little whimsical perhaps, but none the less full blown Time Lord. But now, I guess I can only describe him as human. Very human. He explained how regeneration is not just a regeneration of body, but also of mind and personality. I wish I knew more about him."  
  
"Entry 6"  
  
"Nysaa is determined to teach Adric to dance. Even after he stepped on her toes several times. Clutz is an understatement. She showed us all some of Traken's formal dancing tonight. It was quite lovely. The Doctor played wall flower for awhile until I persuaded him to dance with me. He surprised me with his knowledge of waltzes. There was something about his eyes as we danced. Those beautiful ice blue eyes. I almost felt lost in them. We haven't argued for days now. Well, Nyssa is going to teach me some things about the console . Until next time.."  
  
"Entry 7"  
  
The screen flickered on gain to show Tegan in tears. Gone was the flight attendant's uniform, replaced with a dark tan jumpsuit.  
  
" Adric died today. And either the Doctor doesn't care or he's too much in shock to believe it. I shouldn't say that. I know he cares. He rarely shows emotion but when he does he shows it strongly. No, wait Adric doesn't have to die. We can go back."  
  
The screen went blank as he remembered the argument. The hurt in her eyes as he refused to go back. He wished he could have explained why. That he couldn't change events within his own timeline without creating paradoxes that could disrupt the entire fabric of time and space. She wouldn't have understood. Not when the emotions were so high. And before they could deal with Adric's death, they were thrown once again into danger, aboard a Concorde at the hands of the Master.  
  
"Entry 8"  
  
"Well, the Doctor kept his promise. He got me back to Heathrow. Of course he had stopped trying by the time he did. I still can't believe its over. I didn't even get to tell them goodbye. He knew I wanted to stay. I know he did because I bloody well told him!" There was anger in her voice. " I stood there for hours in the cold waiting for him to come back. I guess he felt I would never forgive him for not saving Adric. " She sighed heavily propping her chin on her hands. "Maybe it is better this way. Things wouldn't have been the same between us. Awkward silence or polite small talk. Both unbearable. Well Doctor, you got me back to my life. Guess its time to start living it."  
  
"Entry 9"  
  
"Its been about six months now since my last entry. The Air Stewardess game is fun and all but it's a bit anticlimatic after traveling with the Doctor. I'll never be able to put it all behind me. I miss it too damned much! " She said as she wiped away a few tears. "I went to Aunt Vanessa's grave a few days ago. She told me once, when I got the job as air stewardess, to give it up when I stopped enjoying it. Well I'm not having much fun with anything anymore. Probably why a bloke never asks me out twice. I can't concentrate anymore. Not on work and obviously not on my personal life. And now those damned dreams are starting to come back. So here's to you Doctor. Think about me next time you save the universe. I wish I'd never met you."  
  
"Me too Tegan. If you hadn't, you'd still be alive."  
  
He pocketed th e journal and made his way back to the TARDIS. 


	5. Reflections

The TARDIS was back in the vortex wandering aimlessly without set coordinates. Peri had found the TARDIS pool and was enjoying a late night swim. The Doctor sat at the poolside for awhile, actually dipping his feet in at one point. Peri laughed at the striped trousers rolled up to his knees.  
  
After a quite interesting discussion of the plant life at the Eye of Orion the Doctor decided to retire to his study. The room was elegantly Edwardian. Works of art adorned the wood paneled wall that would have been the envy of any art collector. Davinci had painted him in each of his incarnations. He had yet to have it done in this one. A charcoal sketch that Tegan had done of him hung as a place holder for it. He had first seen her sketch on Monarch's ship and had been pleasantly surprised by her talent. He had kept quite a few of her drawings.  
  
After settling into his favorite leather high-backed chair, he decided to once again watch a few entries of Tegan's journal. The entries while she was away from him were hard to watch. It just wasn't the Tegan he knew.  
  
"Entry 10"  
  
"It's been another 6 months. A year ago today actually since I left the TARDIS. Well, since it left me.. I've gone back now and watched all my entries from the beginning. It helps to actually hear myself say what I'm feeling. So thank you, Doctor, for this journal. Listen to me. I sound like he'll actually read this one-day. There was a documentary on last night about the dinosaurs and why they died out. Strange to realize that I was actually there when the "asteroid" hit the earth. Saw another one on the Great Fire of London. I don't remember if it was me or one ot the others who knocked over the lamp. A lot of people died that day but it also helped destroy the plague. Seems like death and destruction was all a part of the daily routine when I was on the TARDIS. It just never touched us. Not until Adric. I still think the Doctor could have gone back and saved him. Laws of time be damned." There was a long pause before she continued. " Adric worshipped that man like a father and he abandoned him. I wonder if he would have gone back for Nyssa. Or for me. I'm sure I was least favorite on his list. He did step in front of that cyberman who had been ordered to kill me. We got so caught up in that Concorde business, I never got the chance to really talk to him. We never had any closure. I would have even liked another waltz."  
  
"Entry 11"  
  
"The nightmares have returned. I used to be able to remember a few bits about it. I dreamed of when we had the Mara trapped in the circle of mirrors. I looked at it through a gap in the mirrors and it made eye contact with me. I remember not being able to take my eyes away. The Doctor had to shake me to make me concentrate on what we were doing. Now the dreams are gone as soon as I wake. No memory of the dream at all. Just a feeling of anger, almost hatred when I wake."  
  
"Entry 12"  
  
"Went through my first hijacking today. Ended without anyone getting hurt thank goodness. Well, except for the hijacker. He'll have the design of the serving tray embedded in his forehead for a few months. I've never been so scared in my life. Funny isn't it. I've dealt with some of the most dangerous aliens in the universe, and a simple little man with a gun frightens me. Maybe its because I knew the Doctor wasn't there. Things always worked out with him. I don't quite feel as indestructible as I once did. Anyway, the airline reprimanded me. Can you believe it? Said I endangered the passengers by playing hero. Anyway, I have to meet with administration about the whole event. I'm on leave right now. After the meeting I think I'll visit my cousin. He's travelling through Europe. He'll be in Amsterdam in 2 weeks. I think I'll meet him there."  
  
The Doctor closed the LiveJournal and realized the next entries would chronicle their reunion. A happy note to end the evening on he thought. It had been a few days since he had slept. A few months since he had slept well. This night he would do both. 


	6. Reunion

The Doctor stretched as he awoke from a very peaceful sleep. He had dreamed about Tegan and happier times. Especially the week they spent with her grandfather. He got out of bed and immediately opened Tegan's journal.  
  
"Entry 13"  
  
"Entry 13 hmm? Not unlucky. Somehow I've managed to get myself tangled up with the Doctor again. I did so willingly this time. I lost my job so I really didn't have a reason to stay. Oh Hell's teeth, I knew how much I wanted to be back on the TARDIS again. I really told him off about leaving me at Heathrow. There's a little tension between us but I can already feel it easing. I feel like I have a purpose again. He took me to Gallifrey after we defeated Omega. He had to report that all was well to the High Council. Apparently he was a part of that council at one time. President even. I just can't imagine it though. His people are so stoic. Borusa was quite eccentric and charming though. The Doctor seemed concerned about him. Something to do with multiple regenerations within a short time period not being good for the mind. Anyway, the Time Lords were most accommodating to us. Nyssa was allowed to visit the bioelectronics labs in the Capitol. The Doctor took me with him to visit an old companion of his. Leela. Apparently she left the Doctor to marry the former head of security during his last visit to Gallifrey. Back before he regenerated. She was quite nice. Definitely not the savage the Doctor described. The Doctor and Leela's husband Andred, left to visit Damon and Leela and I had a nice conversation. Some of her adventures were more harrowing than mine. She looked at me after a while as though she could sense something. She asked me if I had ever been touched by evil. I told her about the Mara and the dreams. She told me that I would defeat it and congratulated me. When I asked her why, she asked if I had never noticed the way the Doctor looks at me. I blew it off and thankfully K-9 interrupted us. Anyway, we're leaving again this evening. Back out into the universe. Brave heart, Tegan"  
  
"Entry 14"  
  
"Nyssa suggested a welcome home party for me. It does feel like I'm home. The Doctor even kept my room for me like a parent would for a child who's gone away to school. He actually made me a cake. I surprised him with a strong hug. He was taken aback at first but returned it just as strongly. He told me he was sorry to not have seemed happy to have me back at first. Banishing Omega had really affected him and he knew we would eventually have to clear the air about Adric. We did so just a few hours ago in his study. I got the impression that few have ever been invited to his study. It's an amazing room. Very Edwardian, which really seems to suit him. There was a shelf of glass spheres I took an immediate interest in. He told me they were memory spheres. Each contained a holographic image from of someone whom he was fond of. The last sphere on the shelf contained an n image of me. I've never looked as nice as I do in the hologram. The Doctor told me that the images were recorded from his memories, and from his perception. I was quite flattered. We soon started talking about Adric. For all of his powers as a Time Lord, he can't change any event in which he has become a part of. It supposedly would create a dangerous paradox that could basically zap everything. He hates the explanation as much as I do. He shared with me a couple of stories from when he first met Adric and then he gave me a gift. His memory sphere of Adric. Other than the holographic image, Adric's shattered badge was also encased within it. As much as Adric used to aggravate me, I'll always think about how his life was cut so short. I mean, he was still a teenager. We talked a good bit about our lives since we parted company and then he asked me to dance. But when we did, it was in 1924 at the Cotton Club in New York. We all had a blast. I'll remember tonight for the rest of my life. Again I found myself lost in those blue eyes. I couldn't help but think of what Leela had said. The Doctor told me once that Leela's intuition was a force to be reckoned with. A compass he could set his course of action to. We'll see. Well I have to go now. The Doctor wants to teach me and Nyssa how to read the TARDIS's star charts."  
  
The Doctor closed the journal. The next entry would be about Manussa and the becoming of the Mara.  
  
Minutes later he met up with Peri in the TARDIS corridors on the way to the console room.  
  
"How would you feel about a trip to earth?"  
  
"Kind of boring isn't it? I mean we can go anywhere in the universe," Peri replied.  
  
"Nonsense, earth is my favorite planet and there's someone I really should visit. How about I drop you off in Morocco for a couple of days."  
  
"Well, that is where I was heading before I got caught up with you. Okay. So who's your friend."  
  
The Doctor pretended not to hear her as he set the coordinates. Morocco first and then quick trip to Little Hodcombe. 


	7. Mirages

The Doctor decided a few hours of rest and relaxation would not kill him. The sunset over the beaches of Morocco was indeed a sight to behold. Almost worthy of the Eye of Orion, he thought.  
  
He settled into one of the two beach chairs he had pulled from the TARDIS. Perri had already left hers to get in the water. He opened the small cooler he had packed for them and removed a container of lemonade. As soon as he was comfortable, he flipped open the journal.  
  
"Entry 15"  
  
" A lot has happened since my last entry. The Mara finally resurfaced in me. The feeling of hate almost consumed me. It's dead now. Gone forever. The Doctor is being very hard on himself for not seeing how the encounter on Deva Loka had affected me. That subconsciously I was still possessed. Of course I never told him about making eye contact with the snake in the circle of mirrors. He's apologized over and over. I should have told him. I had every intention of leaving today. I even asked the Doctor to take me home. Just like old times huh? I can't even trust that I ever really wanted to come back. It could have been the Mara inside of me all along. It knew it could use me to get to Manussa and it did. But the Doctor was so kind to me. He held me. Physically and emotionally. Once again making me feel vulnerable and indestructible all at once. I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense. It will take a while for it all to really sink in. For my mind to heal. I'm still having awful dreams but I don't feel the anger anymore. So, instead of going home we wound up on an ancient spaceliner and that led to meeting the most famous of the Doctor's old friends. Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart himself. Oh how many stories I have listened too about the Brigadier. The Doctor seems to have utmost respect for him and I can understand why. He's one of the nicest men I've ever met." She stopped talking for a moment pondering her next few thoughts. "The Doctor was willing to give up his remaining lives to save me and Nyssa. He would have done it without a second thought. I thanked him for it afterwards. He tried not showing any emotion but I could see it in his eyes. And when our eyes met, I knew I would do the same for him. I would give my life so that this beautiful shining white knight could continue to kill the dragons. Rabbits! That is so sappy. But it's true. I don't really understand my feelings for him. I just know that now I can't imagine my life without him."  
  
The Doctor smiled a sad smile. His own life had become strangely empty without her. He still couldn't fully understand what that meant. He was certainly more emotional than most Time Lords were. He could never detach himself fully. No matter how hard he tried. So eventually he stopped trying. Companions came and went and it seemed that they had all taken a little of him with them. Tegan had taken the most.  
  
Peri was enjoying herself in the shallow waves. She had already accrued a small party of eager male admirers. He looked to an area of sand where two small children were playing. A small girl of about five, he would guess, and a boy not much larger than an infant were building sandcastles. The boy picked up the spade like a spoon and began to taste the sand. The Doctor smiled and then heard the voice of which he presumed to belong to their mother.  
  
"No Michael! For pity's sake don't eat that!"  
  
The Doctor almost fell out of his chair as a brilliant white flash and an incredible noise seemed to pierce his brain. He looked back at the children only to find them no longer there. He stood up and staggered to where they had been. There was no evidence they had ever been there. No bucket or spade or sand castles. The only disturbances in the sand were his own footprints.  
  
Another assault on his mind sent him sprawling on the ground. Names flashed into his mind. Michael and...and Amy. Memories that were his and yet not.  
  
"Something's not right," he said to himself. 


	8. Deja Vu

The Doctor had settled into his beach chair not quite understanding the events of the last few minutes. Visions had entered his mind. Visions that were too much like memories. Memories of events that had never happened.  
  
Peri was still enjoying herself in the water and the Doctor sensed no danger. Soon he would leave for his second destination. He decided to read another entry in Tegan's journal while he waited for Peri.  
  
"Entry 16"  
  
"I lost my best friend today. Nyssa stayed behind on Terminus to help find a cure for Lazarus disease. The Doctor is really sad. At least I think he is. He's been awfully quiet since we left. The way Nyssa kissed him on the cheek after he held out his hand was very touching. I think she loved him as a father. It was pretty obvious he had a fatherly affection for her. I'm going to miss her so much. But I am proud of her. I just realized I never even mentioned Turlough in my last entry. Guess that shows exactly what I think of him. I don't trust him. At least not completely. I spent most of this adventure trapped in corridors with him. Hell of a way to have to get to know somebody. Maybe I can get a dance out of the Doctor tonight. Cheer us both up."  
  
The Doctor closed the journal and remembered fondly that evening. A fast dinner and a slow dance. Their friendship had grown stonger. Suddenly other memories flooded his mind. Memories of another dance with Tegan as she sang to him. "Yes I know it's true that visions are seldom as they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once the way you did once upon a dream."  
  
And there had been a girl watching them. A beautiful blonde with familiar blue eyes.  
  
"Angelina!' he said and once again the flash of white and burst of noise.  
  
"What is happening to me?"  
  
Three hours later, Peri finally made it back to her beach chair minus her recently acquired fan club. She saw the Doctor standing alone staring into the ocean. She reached into their cooler and pulled out two lemonades and made her way toward him.  
  
"Its beautiful isn't it?" he asked not turning away from the view.  
  
"Very," she replied handing him the lemonade.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"What's wrong Doctor? You seem troubled."  
  
"When you were in the water earlier, did you notice or feel anything out of the ordinary."  
  
"No, a little Déjà vu perhaps."  
  
"Déjà vu?"  
  
"As if I have done this before. It's like I had a memory that was mine but.not. I mean I've never been here."  
  
"Hmmm. Peri I've taken care of your hotel accommodations. A resort just behind us. Are you sure you'll be okay for a couple of days?"  
  
"I'll be fine Doctor. I'm more concerned about you. You still haven't told me where you're going."  
  
"Just somewhere I need to be for awhile. I'll be back soon enough.'  
  
"Promise me. I'm not quite ready to give up my time travelling days."  
  
"I promise. Do you really enjoy travelling with me?"  
  
Peri just smiled and gave him a friendly hug. "I like hanging around my best friends Doctor. I definitely consider you one of the best."  
  
"Thank you Peri. I'll see you in a couple of days."  
  
With that he made his way to the TARDIS. He turned to survey the beach once more. His jaw dropped as he saw a lovely dark haired woman with those two children from his vision. As if she knew she was being watched she turned toward him.  
  
"Tegan."  
  
The burst of white sent him reeling. Time and space seemed to close in on him and the look of her face would be his last memory before he lapsed into unconsciousness.  
  
He opened his eyes to find himself lying on his back looking up at the known universe. He sat upright and realized he was in a TARDIS.  
  
"I'm so glad you're awake," a voice said.  
  
He found the owner of the voice in a sitting area surrounded by candles. It was a man in a dark green velvet frock coat with a gray cravat. A handsome face was surrounded by curly dark brown hair not unlike his previous incarnation.  
  
"Come sit with me and have a cup of tea. And then, perhaps we can discuss what you have done to mess up our lives." 


	9. Fractured Time

The Doctor set the coordinates for Little Hodcombe. As the rotor began to rise and fall he felt as though he had forgotten something. Someone had offered him tea. And they were going to discuss something. The Doctor shook the thoughts away as he sat on the floor and opened Tegan's journal. Other thoughts entered his mind. Tegan's entries had shown him how she had cared for him. And Leela, that sweet savage, had known how the Doctor felt about Tegan. She could see it in the way he looked at her. What would their lives have been like if only they had admitted it to each other?  
  
"Entry 17  
  
" Tegan's log. Stardate 1030452..ahh who the hell knows. I thought I had lost the Doctor today. I thought he had been thrown overboard from Wrack's ship. That blasted Eternal Mariner felt my loss. Read my emotions. I had been able to block him most of the time. No small feat. I was quite proud of myself. After the Mara, the Doctor had taught me how to shield my mind from others. But when I thought the Doctor and Turlough were dead, all of those barriers crumbled. I really don't know how long I can keep doing this. The Doctor and I just talked in the cloister room. Almost losing him really made me realize some things. I was so close to admitting how I feel about him. But all I could do was give him a little awkward hug and tell him I was glad he was okay."  
  
"Entry 18"  
  
"The Master turned up again. That murdering bastard just can't stay down. I wish that knife had gone right into his twisted excuse for a brain. We beat him of course. But I know I haven't seen the last of him. Maybe some day I'll learn just how connected he and the Doctor are. The Doctor threatened to take me back to earth this time. Of course it was a lame attempt to get a rise out of me. Which worked damn him. He made me admit I wanted to stay with him. Maybe that was the point. So we're heading to the Eye of Orion. Supposedly one of the most beautiful places in the universe. Even Turlough's been there. He said there many wonders in the universe he wanted to show me. To show ME. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I think he's starting to realize a few things as well."  
  
"Entry 19"  
  
"There will never be another entry like this one. I met all of the Doctor's former selves this time. Well all except the last one but I already knew him. The most memorable bit was meeting the Doctor's grand daughter. When my Doctor saw her, I could see the love in his eyes. And pain. I never realized he had a family. A wife and children. I can only imagine what happened. I know that he left Gallifrey on unfriendly terms. I wonder if the Master was somehow involved. I met another companion of his as well. Sarah Jane Smith. He has always spoken fondly of her. She, like me, also witnessed regeneration. She was with the Doctor a long time and suddenly without warning he left her. Took her home and left. If "Teeth and Curls" had been there, I'm sure she would have given him a good thrashing. Just like I gave mine for leaving me. I wonder if he'll do it again."  
  
"Entry 20"  
  
"Seems like we keep running into more and more of the Doctor's past. This time it was Silurians and Sea Devils. Unit had blown up a Silurian base during the Doctor's time with them and it caused quite a rift between him and the Brigadier. This time wasn't much different, because we were forced to destroy them. The Doctor made a remark about earth and humans that startled me. The sheer disgust in his voice when he said humans. It made me realize that no matter how he appears to be, he is an alien. He's been very detached for the last couple of days. Barely speaking to Turlough or me. It's too late for me to rethink my feelings for him though. There's no turning back."  
  
"Entry 21"  
  
"The Doctor finally snapped out of his depression. We just spent the last week with my Grandfather. Danger turned up there as well. The Malice. Once again we were victorious. The Doctor and grandfather talked for hours about history. The Doctor took me to dinner in a nearby village. Stockbridge. I asked the Doctor if he would ever stop running. He surprised me by saying he would one-day return to Gallifrey. And then he surprised me even further by asking me if I would be leaving now. He seemed so relieved when I told him no. Even more so when I referred to the TARDIS as home. The smile he gave me was.I don't know. It just said more than any words could have at that moment."  
  
The TARDIS had materialized just outside Little Hodcombe Cemetery. The Doctor uncurled his hat and walked out into the cold toward Tegan's grave. He remembered the service and how Tegan's family had frowned upon him and Turlough. Tegan's grandfather had welcomed them though. Varney had honored him with his words.  
  
"My grand daughter did not die because of you Doctor. She lived because of you."  
  
He knelt down and touched the headstone, tears running down his cheek.  
  
"My condolences Doctor"  
  
The dark voice neither startled nor surprised him. The Master walked slowly toward the Doctor and knelt beside him.  
  
"She was very special to you, I know."  
  
"Then this should make you happy."  
  
"Oh Doctor. Come now. This reminds me too much of another grave. All those centuries ago on Gallifrey. I am not without compassion Doctor. I was your friend then. And so in honor of that and in honor of Tegan I will be your friend now. Just long enough to tell you what you already probably know."  
  
"The time streams."  
  
"Are seriously disrupted Doctor yes. And I'll tell you this. Tegan wasn't supposed to die. Look."  
  
The Master gestured toward the grave and the headstone seemed to dissolve away. And then so did the Master.  
  
The Doctor re-entered the TARDIS and set the coordinates for Morocco. He knew he had to find out what was happening and soon. If the time stream was damaged, Peri would be far safer with him in the TARDIS. Could the Master have been right? Was Tegan supposed to live? Was her death a temporal disruption? Too many questions and no answers. His only link to her now was her journal. There had to be some kind of clue there.  
  
"Entry 22"  
  
"We just dropped off the Gravis on some little asteroid. TARDIS seems to really be acting odd since it was reassembled." The picture began to shake as the Doctor heard his own voice in the background.  
  
"Tegan come to the console room, something's happening to the TARDIS."  
  
The Doctor looked at the journal somewhat confused.  
  
"I don't remember that. There was a problem but I never called her to the console room." He said but before much more thought could be given to it the next entry began.  
  
"Entry 23"  
  
"We've been trying to get back to Frontios for 3 months now. Hopefully Turlough is okay. We'll get back soon enough. He'll never even know we were gone so long. 2 days ago I almost died in a freezer. How stupid is that. I've fought too many madmen and monsters to die in a bloody freezer. A lot of good came out of it though. The Doctor and I played 20 questions to pass the time. I got a little too personal with him and he with me. But he really opened up to me. I know about Gallifrey and now I even know his real name. Can't pronounce it so I'll keep calling him Doctor. We were in the freezer quite a while and I almost died. I think it shook him up. A lot. After I recovered, we both let our emotions overwhelm us. And before we really knew what we were doing, we were in each other's arms. I just left his room. He is still asleep. This is what I've wanted for so long. What's that saying? Be careful what you wish for. Brave heart, Tegan."  
  
The Doctor closed his eyes knowing that had never happened but longed desperately That it had. The journal started again.  
  
"Entry 23"  
  
"Cripes, I don't have a clue in hell what the actual date is, but I'll just continue as I have already in this journal. It's after Frontios. We just left Tranax Seven. I had those thoughts about him again. And when you read this, Tegan-girl, sometime in later life.you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I still don't know why he took me there, but I'm not complaining. I loved it. It was beautiful.in that stained glass in the church window type way. And the sounds..Lord..it was incredible.  
  
If he were just a man, if he were anything less than what he is, I might be able to make him love me someday. But he isn't. I think I've finally gotten that through my head. I've been thankful daily that my run over mouth hasn't just blurted it out to him. I think he would have dropped me off on Earth so quickly, my head would spin. Believe it or not, journal, I'm just glad to be here. With him. With Turlough. In the TARDIS. I might not like everywhere we end up, but if I'm with my friends, I can survive anything.  
  
Oh, blast. He's calling. Apparently, he's found Frontios. I didn't know it was lost. Righto, better get a move on.he sounds manic again."  
  
Again an entry 23 and again no memory of the events.  
  
"Entry 23. There is no saved data for entry 23. Do you wish to record new data."  
  
A flash of white and the Doctor was once again surrounded by candles in the Tardis of his future self.  
  
"Pretty obvious now isn't it?" The older Doctor asked. "We are spread throughout alternate time. Our time stream has been fractured."  
  
The younger Doctor sipped his tea and fidgeted with Tegan's Journal.  
  
"Entry 22. Something happened to the TARDIS. But it didn't, it didn't happen that way."  
  
"No it didn't. And in my time stream. Tegan didn't die. She left me in the warehouse not telling me she was pregnant with Angelina. I just met my daughter over a year ago. And I'm happy to say that my relationship with Tegan is wonderful. Its also apparent in my memories that Tegan left me in the warehouse, and later married having two children named Michael and Amy. I met her again some time after her husband's death and basically was willing to adopt her children and marry her. Until my regeneration caused that to be unfeasible and so now I'm Uncle Thete. And then of course Tegan didn't leave and I took her to a carnival to mend our friendship. And then she did leave and I passed her and her boyfriend in a convertible just last week."  
  
"How do we fix this?" The younger Doctor asked.  
  
"Isn't the answer obvious. It's Tegan. She wasn't supposed to die. And because she did, our timestream has been fractured."  
  
"No it's not her death. Can't be. That's part of an alternative time stream. So something happened before that. In the journal when we were returning to Frontios, the TARDIS went through some kind of turbulence. I dismissed it at the time. The TARDIS itself had been fractured just prior to that."  
  
A brilliant white light almost blinded them but unlike other times it was not a disturbance of their memories. A voice that seemed to be everywhere at once spoke to them. And as it did it took form and stood before them. The White Guardian.  
  
"Doctor, the universe will unravel unless the fabric of time is restored. This is the task I require of you and your other selves. Bring me the Key to Time." 


	10. Kiss The Children

The setting could only be described as no time and no place. They all stood together, all eight Doctors, in the presence of the White Guardian. Behind them a group of companions tried to make sense of it all. Barbara and Ian talked with Jaime and Zoe. Jo Grant shared her concerns with Sarah Jane. Peri watched nervously as Ace fiddled with a container of Nitro Nine.  
  
'Doctors, the time streams are disrupted. The ripples, once small and inconsequential, have grown such that the fabric of time is on the verge of collapsing in on itself. I require the Key. Only with the Key can the repairs be made." The White Guardian then motioned for Doctors 5 and 8 to step forward.  
  
"You two are most affected by the disruptions so you will remain here, stabilized by my power. The rest of you will each bring forth a segment of the Key To Time. You will find the coordinates preset in your respective TARDISs."  
  
The other Doctors and their companions faded away one by one.  
  
"White Guardian, I have a request of you sir," the fifth Doctor said as he approached the kindly old man.  
  
"I know of what you wish Doctor."  
  
"Then is it possible?"  
  
"It is. For a brief time. I shall bring you back when the time is right."  
  
The Fifth Doctor also faded away.  
  
"Where has he gone?"  
  
"To make peace with his memories. Memories that will be his future and your past."  
  
"Only one timestream can exist. That's the way of it isn't it?"  
  
"The future is based on choices, Doctor. At any given time, only one choice can be made. So only one future. One timestream. Other choices are only possibilities. There exists a timestream for every possible choice but they exist outside of time until that choice is made."  
  
"So something has happened to make these alternate time streams merge with the real one."  
  
"Yes. The fabric of space and time cannot maintain the stress. And if your other selves aren't successful, it will mean the end of everything."  
  
The Doctor saddened with the enlightenment. He now knew there was the possibility that his relationship with Tegan would never be. That his beautiful Angelina might have never been meant to exist. He had given so much for the sake of the universe. How could it be so cruel to him now?  
  
The Doctor rang the doorbell. Just behind the door he could hear the quickened footsteps as two children raced each other to answer it.  
  
The door flew open and he was met by two pleasantly surprised children..  
  
Tegan was in the kitchen frantically trying to prepare dinner. She had not yet made it to market and the choices were slim. Mark, being the gourmet chef, could make peanut butter and crackers into a three course gourmet meal, but his business trip to meet with new investors for his restaurant would last three more days. Tegan had groaned at the sound of the doorbell. The sound of Michael yelling "Daddy!" brought her running through the living room to the front door.  
  
When his eyes met hers there were no words that needed to be spoken. She rushed to embrace him. An embrace returned more strongly than she could ever remember him giving her. The children joined in, and suddenly he was flooded with all of the memories that were and weren't his. The joy of the children, the pain of Tegan's accident and the bliss of their first night together.. This was his family. Not so unlike his family torn from him all those centuries ago.  
  
"Its you. You! How?"  
  
"If I said I'll explain later, would you strangle me?"  
  
"I'll let it slide until after dinner."  
  
The dinner , which he had actually prepared after he and Tegan jointly decided that her rushed attempts were rather unappetizing, was wonderful. Not the food so much as the feeling of just being together. A bedtime story about the knight and the magic blue box for both children and he and Tegan were finally alone. They sat close on the sofa in front of a roaring fire.  
  
He was rather blunt about the situation with the time streams and it was more than she could take in.  
  
"You remember all of it now don't you?" she asked with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Yes," the Doctor replied also in tears.  
  
"You've regenerated several times since then. They called you uncle Thete after the first time. I always have to come up with new names for you. Reintroduce you as someone else. It's hard but you love them and I always want you to be a part of their lives."  
  
"And am I?"  
  
"You've never missed a birthday or Christmas yet."  
  
"You finally married Mark?"  
  
"Yes Doctor. I'm happy. My life turned out pretty well. I still miss you. I mean miss the way you are now. You'll always be my Doctor." She leaned into him and kissed him passionately. "Given our history, I don't think Mark would mind. Doesn't mean I'll tell him though,," she chuckled fighting back more tears as she remembered the night in the house in Kent.  
  
"So he knows our history?"  
  
"Yeah, you even took on a little time trip to prove it to him. He understands why you keep coming back. I have a wonderful husband and a great life and the children still have you in their lives. So why can't it just be this way? I didn't die in that warehouse Doctor. And Michael and Amy exist. That can't change. It can't!"  
  
"Maybe this is the way things were meant to be Tegan. I hope it is. And maybe I just won't ever go to Androzani Major. Maybe you and I will get a second chance."  
  
They hugged each other tightly.  
  
"I have to go now Tegan. Kiss the children for me."  
  
He gently touched her cheek and faded away. 


	11. A Rekindling

Chapter 11 A Rekindling  
  
Angelina sat at her dining room table flipping through proofs of her latest photo shoot. She smiled as she looked at the TARDIS key hanging from her neck in each and every photo. As much as her father hated the idea, it had become her trademark. She never thought much of it until she had been contacted by UNIT investigators. Her mom had cleared up the matter with the Brigadier. Old Lethbridge Stewart warned Angelina that some old enemy of her father might recognize it and realize who she was. The merchandizing blitz didn't help matters much.  
  
She suddenly felt a presence in the hallway outside the apartment. Much the way she could feel when her father was near, but somehow it was different. She was already moving toward the door when the buzzer went off.  
  
She opened the door and the threshold suddenly became a bridge for past and future.  
  
"Angelina," The Doctor whispered. "So beautiful."  
  
She recognized the features. Features she saw everytime she looked in a mirror.  
  
"You can't be here. You..You can't be here."  
  
Their eyes locked together and their minds touched. She could feel his memories of her mother, and her mother's.death? No that wasn't right."  
  
The moment was broken by the sound of laughter coming up the hallway.  
  
The eighth Doctor and Tegan were returning from a date.  
  
Angelina looked at her father and then back at her visitor. Tegan stood in shock as well. And then both girls promptly fainted. The Doctors caught them as they fell.  
  
Tegan could faintly make out a conversation as she began to stir.  
  
"Why did you come here, this has nothing to do with your time stream?"  
  
"I wanted to meet my daughter.'  
  
"She's not your daughter yet, and after all this is fixed she may not even exist"  
  
"What the hell are you two talking about? What do mean she may not even exist?"  
  
The eighth Doctor sighed, realizing Tegan was awake and would probably be in rare form. The fifth Doctor stared at her. She was so incredibly beautiful. She actually looked far younger than he remembered even though she was several years older than the Tegan he had just left.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I think you were the one who always won the arguments, perhaps you should tell her."  
  
Doctor number five gave him a evil look and began the story. Tegan listened intently.  
  
"I always knew there was trouble if you met one of your other selves. I don't even pretend to comprehend this. Your saying that the time streams are fractured and overlapping. And if you don't fix it. Then.."  
  
"Zap is the word I believe you're looking for Tegan."  
  
"Will you give me and..him.a few moments alone?" Tegan asked the older Doctor keeping her eyes locked with those of the younger.  
  
"Of course. You know our date tonight was meant to be a cushion for all this. I was going to tell you. I had no idea he would be here."  
  
"I know, I just need to talk with..him."  
  
"The eighth Doctor turned and walked toward his TARDIS casually glancing back more than once."  
  
"No scanner!" Tegan warned.  
  
The door of the old blue box closed and Tegan motioned for the Doctor to go with her.  
  
"C'mon Doctor, let's check on OUR daughter."  
  
He smiled as he followed Tegan to Angelina's room. They opened the door and found Angelina beginning to come around.  
  
"Sorry for the shock, darling. Believe me, I shared it with you. But I would like you to meet your father."  
  
The Doctor could still feel the confusion in her mind.  
  
"I never explained regeneration to her, Doctor. Didn't seem to matter unless something happened to you or her." Tegan said and turned toward her daughter. "This is how your father looked when we were together but this isn't how he looked when we met."  
  
"It's okay mom, I get it. When our minds touched, I understood. Can I talk to him for a while?"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes Mum. I haven't been this sure about anything in quite some time."  
  
Tegan slowly closed the door behind her.  
  
"You would have, wouldn't you?' Angelina asked.  
  
"Would have what?"  
  
"What I felt in your mind. You would have stayed with us. Been my father."  
  
"I would have given everything I had to be there for you Angelina. To hold you. Wipe your tears. Fight the monsters under the bed. I love you. I love your mother. I always will. You know why I'm here now don't you?"  
  
"The time streams. I've felt some disturbances as well. Guess it's my Time Lord genes. Was none of this supposed to happen. Do I exist as some sort of.what's the term he would use? Temporal anomoly?"  
  
"I honestly don't know. All I know is now. And now I'm looking at the most beautiful person in the universe. And I'm very proud that you are my daughter."  
  
Angelina smiled through a flow of tears as she looked at this young man who could easily pass for a slightly older brother. But his deep blue eyes, so like her own, were those of a wise old man and the eyes of a loving father.  
  
"What if Mum was supposed to die?"  
  
"She wasn't. No matter what my future is supposed to hold for me. She is a part of it."  
  
"Don't let her leave you.. Make her stay. I want you there to tuck me in at night. I want you in my life. From the beginning. Promise me!"  
  
"I promise." He said and held her tightly. The stillness of the moment was absolute, broken only by the sound of their heartbeats."  
  
Tegan came back in to find them as she had imagined it in her mind all those years ago. He would have been a good father. If only she had given him the chance.  
  
"I'm going to talk to your mother for a moment. I love you Angelina."  
  
"I love you,." She replied and added a word that she had never felt comfortable enough to say. "Dad."  
  
Tegan held out her hand to grasp the Doctor's as her other hand wiped away tears.  
  
As soon as the Doctor held her hand, his mind was flooded with her memories of the way she left him. And somehow he remembered it as well. How firmly she had held his hand as she said goodbye. A firmness that betrayed that she really didn't want to leave. And then the strength of her grip had faded as she found the strength to let go and it was the Doctor who had tried to hold on.  
  
"I would have stayed if I had known Tegan. I would have stayed on earth. I would have married you and raised our daughter. You knew I loved you." " I knew Doctor, but I also knew you couldn't stay with me. You're a free spirit Doctor. We're too much alike in that way. I needed you. But you needed the universe more."  
  
"Don't presume to know what I would or wouldn't have done Tegan!" The Doctor replied quite angrily. "I would have given my last regeneration to have spent my life with you and our daughter. Because..Do you know what my last memory of you is, Tegan? Do you? My last memory of you is you dying in my arms! My hands covered in your blood as you told me you loved me! Watching helplessly as the fire in your eyes flickered and faded. The warmth of your lips in that first and final kiss."  
  
"It didn't happen Doctor. I'm here! I'm alive. And that most certainly was not our first kiss! Don't you remember trying to get back to Frontios. We almost died in that damn freezer. That's when we realized it Doctor. We loved each other. And when we were finally safe we acted on it! It happened damn it! And Angelina is proof. I'm sorry. I should have told you. And damn you for making me admit that."  
  
"Tegan please. I don't know how to explain any of this. I remember it, but I also know it didn't happen."  
  
"It did! Damn, why did I leave you? Why couldn't you just stop trying to always be the hero Doctor. We could have had a life together."  
  
"Are you happy now? With me as you know me now?"  
  
"Yes. Actually I am."  
  
"Then leave it at that Tegan. Live in the now. To know that no matter what happened between us, that I eventually found you again and that we have a daughter and we all love each other. That's more than enough for me. Because as I said, all I have is the memory of you dying."  
  
"Suppose when all is said and done and the Guardian restores the time streams, that was the way it was supposed to be."  
  
"I can't accept that. When I look at you now. How beautiful you are, how beautiful our daughter is. I've seen several of my possible futures now Tegan. And one thing is constant in all of them. You."  
  
"She pulled him to her and kissed him, as the eighth Doctor walked in.  
  
"Impossible to be jealous of myself I suppose. I must say though this has intriguing possibilities. Perhaps the Air Stewardess and two naughty passengers."  
  
Tegan laughed to ease the fifth Doctor's obvious embarrassment.  
  
"I'm afraid its time."  
  
Both Doctors embraced Tegan.  
  
"One way or another, we'll meet again."  
  
With that they both faded away. 


	12. From The Ashes

Chapter 12 - From The Ashes  
  
The Doctors all stood before the Guardian. All eight of them.  
  
Each Doctor that had brought a segment of the Key To Time came forth.  
  
The First Doctor approached his fifth incarnation and spoke to him.  
  
"Your memories have traveled back to all of us my boy. I hope we do have a family again. Perhaps you could take them to meet Susan."  
  
The Fifth Doctor smiled. "I will."  
  
The Second and Third Doctors gave encouraging smiles.  
  
And then the Fourth Doctor approached.  
  
"These feelings you have for Tegan. Was I capable of that?"  
  
"Ask Sarah." He answered.  
  
"You know as well as I do that we won't remember any of this."  
  
Before the Fourth Doctor could ask any more the Guardian began his task.  
  
The segments rose from their hands and spun in front of the White Guardian. Slowly they began to come together and formed the key.  
  
"Doctors, when my task is done, the time streams will be restored and all of your knowledge of these events, past, present and future will be erased from your memory. The Guardians of Time and Space are indebted to you once more."  
  
As the Doctors began to fade one by one, the memories of all his time streams rushed through his mind, In a mere few seconds, he had lived out every possible timeline. Tears flowed down his cheeks as feelings of joy and pain became one. Then a deafening noise, a flash of brilliant white light and then..nothing. 


	13. Epilogue

EPILOGUE  
  
"Well, that's that. The Gravis won't be a problem for our Colonist friends now."  
  
"The TARDIS seems a little sluggish Doctor."  
  
"Yes. Well being blown apart and reconstituted must have been stressful."  
  
"I know the feeling, and if you say brave heart I'll thump your nose. Walk's not quite right indeed."  
  
"Oh Tegan. You know that if the Gravis had known you were human you would have been the next driver of his excavator."  
  
"I know, But you didn't have to enjoy the taunt so much"  
  
"If you must know, I happen to enjoy the way you walk."  
  
Tegan blushed but the Doctor did not see her. He had his ear pressed to the console.  
  
"The more time the old girl spends in the vortex the better off she'll be. I think I'll let her drift for a few hours before we get Turlough."  
  
"You mean a few hours not spent saving the universe," Tegan said crossing her arms and striking a pose that the Doctor could only describe as so utterly Tegan.  
  
"Yes. Quite. I suppose we do need a break don't we. Perhaps we could go to the Cranleigh's annual party again. It seems ages since I've bowled a Cricket ball. Yes a short break will do us good."  
  
"You need a long break Doctor. You're like a cat now. Nine lives left including this one. Why not enjoy yourself before the curiosity kills you. Live a little."  
  
"Live a little. Alright. That's how we'll spend the next few hours. You can show me how to live a little."  
  
"I detect a note of sarcasm."  
  
"None intended," he said flipping a few switches on the console. Music replaced the soft hum of the TARDIS's main drive. The Doctor approached Tegan and held out his arm.  
  
"May I have this dance?"  
  
She took his hand and he pulled her close. Their laughter echoed throughout the TARDIS as they danced. Eyes met and the Doctor gently touched her mind with his. Tegan did nothing to shield her thoughts as she welcomed the Doctor's presence in her mind. All barriers crumbled. All feelings were shared.  
  
The Doctor knew that one day she would leave him. All of his companions eventually did. Even the ones he cared for the most. It would be a sad day when Tegan left him.  
  
Tegan sensed the sudden grayness of his thoughts. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. Just a stray thought about my future. The one thing about which a Time Lord is powerless against."  
  
"So live here. Live now."  
  
He smiled at her and somehow knew that no matter what the future held for him. Tegan would be a part of it."  
  
Fin.  
  
Okay so there you have it. Pick your favorite continuity and pick up there. Both Warinbabylon and Kittenmommy have some wonderful stories. 


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